


Hotter than California

by dreamforlife



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Coffee Shop, Incidents, M/M, larry stylinson au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-28
Updated: 2013-03-28
Packaged: 2017-12-06 17:42:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/738355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamforlife/pseuds/dreamforlife
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coffee shop in a surf town...Louis didn't think life could get much better, (note the sarcasm), until someone came along and swept him off his feet. </p><p>Literally.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hotter than California

 

Louis gaped, his brain spluttering thoughtlessly in wonder. This had to be impossible. There was _no_ way that someone like that could exist. His eyes languidly travelled over the stranger’s body, drinking in the sun-kissed skin, the well-defined abs, the wind teasing his soft-looking, curly chocolate hair but mostly falling into the emerald eyes that glittered in the hot Californian sun as he talked to some girl.

He could feel the saliva flooding his mouth and swallowed thickly, unable to take his gaze of this _God_ who was standing just outside the café where he worked.

‘Geez, close your mouth, Lou, you’re drooling. If you’re going for subtly I can assure you half the people in this café already know you’re gay just from that one look,’ Sarah snickered from his right, her voice tearing Louis out of his little world as he subconsciously wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

He blushed, his cheeks immediately flooding with a bright red, and coughed awkwardly, returning to the coffee he was supposed to be making.

‘Uh…right, yeah, sure,’ He replied, his eyes involuntarily travelling back to the gorgeous human being outside the doors.

Sarah chuckled, as she poured the creamed milk into the coffee, ‘No arguments when it comes to your taste. He is _hot._ Go ask for his number!’

Louis shook his head, as he walked out from behind the counter, ‘No way, he’s probably got a girlfriend with those abs.’

‘Or a boyfriend,’ Sarah muttered under her breath, but Louis chose to ignore her as usual.

Grabbing the frothy cappuccino, he headed to table 12, wondering how someone could drink something hot in this weather. His question was answered when he reached the customer.

‘Hey! Louis!’ Sarah yelled, just as he put the coffee down in front of a lady who looked like she should be in a nursing home rather than in a surf town, ‘Take the next order, I have to go out back!’

‘Alright, alright! Calm your bananas—’ He exclaimed and turned around, only to freeze.

He was going to _kill_ Sarah. The God stood, casually shirtless in blue and white board shorts as Louis walked behind the counter. For a minute, he admired the pure flawlessness in front of him, before popping out of his inappropriate thoughts and pasting a smile on his face.

‘Hi, what can I get you?’ He cringed inwardly as he heard the raspy edge to his voice.

Deep green eyes regarded him for a moment before they flicked upwards to the menu.

‘I’ll have two scoops of triple chocolate gelato, please.’

Louis had to grip the counter as the deep, velvet voice sent a rippling wave of pinpricks down his spine.

‘Sure,’ He managed to choke out, and spun around hastily so that the blush on his cheeks wasn’t visible.

Taking a deep breath as he turned back with the gelato, he managed to fight down the urge to blush.

‘That’s three dollars.’

Long, nimble fingers pushed apart the sleeves in a wallet to pull out three one dollar notes. Louis reached out to take the money and his fingertips brushed against the stranger’s hand.

His heart leapt to his throat as tiny sparks flew down to his knuckles.

‘Thanks and have a nice day,’ Louis managed with a forced smile, brushing back the dark brown hair that had fallen into his blue-grey eyes. As they talked, he couldn’t resist letting his eyes travel down the naked torso of the green eyed boy. Man, he really had to come up with something else to call—

‘You too, Louis,’ Green eyes crinkled as a smile lit up his face.

Louis floundered, his heartbeat uneven, ‘How…?’

The customer chuckled, ‘You’re wearing a nametag.’

Oh. Louis could’ve bashed his head against a wall.

He laughed, trying not to show his awkwardness, ‘Right, I forget that all the time! Well, since you know mine, what’s your name?’

‘It’s Harry.’

‘Suits you,’ He blurted out without thinking.

‘Thanks, I know it does,’ Harry grinned fully, and Louis’ heart beat raggedly under his black shirt.

‘Lou!’ Sarah’s voice screeched from behind him.

‘Well, the wicked witch beckons,’ Louis shrugged, grinning and cringing at the same time.

‘OI, I HEARD THAT!!!’

Both boys burst out laughing at the amusement and annoyance mixed into Sarah’s tone.

‘’Kay, well the waves are calling so catcha later!’ Harry called, as he headed out the door.

Louis sighed, staring longingly after the most perfect guy he’d ever met. He was so star struck that he didn’t see the very same guy standing in front of him five minutes later, waving his hand in front of his face.

A stinging slap echoed through the café and Louis blinked as pain bloomed across his left cheek. Clutching his face, his horrified gaze focused on a smug-looking Sarah.

‘Sarah, what the hell!?’

She smirked and grinned at the same time, gesturing to the counter, ‘Well, Lou my dear, this poor guy has been trying to get your attention for the past _five_ minutes and you’ve been staring into space.’

His eyes widened and he looked up from Sarah, flushing hotly when he saw Harry gazing at him through half-lidded eyes glittering with amusement.

‘Picked out a girl, have you?’ Harry asked, grinning.

His insides squeezed at the word ‘girl’. Yep, Harry was definitely straight.

‘Nah, just…thinking,’ He replied, shrugging an apology.

‘Hmph, more like drooling after him,’ Sarah muttered, just loud enough for Louis to hear.

He shot her a sharp look. That was rewarded by the most fake innocent face he’d ever seen.

‘So…why’d you come back?’Louis asked Harry, leaning on the counter.

‘I forgot to get your number,’ Harry replied, pulling out his phone.

His heart stopped altogether. But his next sentence smashed any hope that Louis had.

‘I’m new in town, and it’d be nice to have someone to show me around.’

Right. The infamous tour guide. He should’ve known. But, being the nice guy he was, he smiled, pretending that some part of him didn’t die at Harry’s words.

‘Sure…but what about the girl you were talking to before?’ He couldn’t help asking, curious.

Harry shrugged, obviously not picking up that Louis had seen him with a girl.

He looked pissed, ‘Jen being Jen and I quote, ‘ _I have to go, they’re having a week long sales expo in New York, and Casey got invitations to work. Sorry, bye.’’_

Louis grinned at Harry’s failed imitation of the girl’s voice, ‘Right, I’m sure you didn’t want to go to that!’

Harry groaned, ‘Don’t even mention it! So…can we meet up sometime?’

As much as he wished that those words were being said in a different context, Louis nodded, ‘Sure, hand me your phone.’

Gulping softly as he entered his number into Harry’s phone, he saved it under _Lou the world’s best tour guide._ When he handed it back, Harry chuckled and slipped his phone into his pocket.

‘Well then ‘world’s best tour guide, I’ll see you later.’

And with that, Harry strutted sassily out the door.

Louis frowned; straight guys didn’t walk like that…did they? Just the way Harry walked tugged at something inside Louis.

Something told him that as much as Harry believed that he himself was straight, he wasn’t. Louis had no idea how he knew that, but he did.

The thought made an involuntary grin push itself onto his face as he stared longingly after Harry, still watching long after he disappeared into the glistening blue ocean.

‘You idiot, why didn’t you _do_ anything!? You could’ve at least mentioned just how hot he was!’ Sarah shrieked at him, as they began getting ready for the afternoon customers.

Louis shrugged, glancing towards the beach, wishing he could leave this god forsaken café. To be completely honest, he loved working here, but sometimes, he wished he could just escape from all the mayhem and just enjoy living in a town like this.

From his left, Sarah heaved a heavy sigh.

‘I can see I’m not going to get any more work out of you today. Go.’

A slight raise of his eyebrows and a grin later, Louis was out the door, breathing in the tangy salt air, with the sun beating down on him.

Having the first break since he first started working at the café almost four months ago, he found himself standing at the top of the sand dunes, staring at the inviting calm of the cerulean sea. Louis sighed, a sudden chill shivering down his spine when he realised that the only reason he was here was because of Harry.

‘Well,’ He mumbled as he slipped off his shoes, ‘YOLO.’

Leaving his shoes and socks, as well as his shirt, he made his way down the uncrowded gold sand to the water. He wasn’t terribly _proud_ of his body, but he didn’t hate it either. He really had nothing to complain about.

Heaving a sigh, Louis plunged into the water, hoping that it would wash away all his feelings for the moment so he could enjoy the rest of the day.

Suddenly, he felt a heart-stopping tidal pull on his body. He should’ve known better than to get caught in a rip. He felt his body being dragged with the motion of the water, fear stabbing through him. Each time he tried to surface, he was dragged under yet again.

Breathing was becoming a necessity and Louis managed to push his way up to the surface, despite the steel coil of panic that was weighing down his stomach. As soon as his head broke the surface, he gasped in a huge lungful of air, his throat grating painfully.

Too soon, he was yanked beneath the water once again and the coil sprang free. Panic surged through him and his body went limp. But Louis’ brain was still pumping with adrenalin, hyperactive in this deadly situation.

Louis swore he was going to die any minute now. He couldn’t tell which was up or which way was down. His eyes, sore from the salt, drifted shut.

From nowhere, something grabbed his biceps and wrenched him upwards. He vaguely felt his break the surface of the water, because there was no resistance or pressure against his head.Louis tried opening his eyes, but nothing came of it.

The thing that grabbed him pulled him onto something hard. And at that point, he blacked out.

 

Louis’ head pounded worse now than at any rock concert he had ever been to. He let out an agonising groan, which echoed through the private room. He breathed in, almost fainting in relief as the clean _air_ swept into his lungs.

He tried opening his eyes; they felt sorely trapped beneath his eyelids. But as soon as they cracked open, blinding white light streaked through and he squeezed them shut.

‘Louis?’ A voice asked, coming from his left.

It seemed vaguely familiar to him, but he couldn’t place it.

Something warm slipped into his hand, electrical sparks ran haywire through his body. The butterflies in his stomach started in a complicated tango that even Louis himself couldn’t understand.

‘Lou…squeeze my hand if you can.’

It took a lot of power out of him even for that simple action, but he managed to flex his fingers around the hand that held his gently.

Suddenly, his body’s reaction to the person hit him with the force of a bullet train, making his eyes shoot open, and cringe at the brightness before it gradually faded away.

One name made its way in circles around Louis’ brain. One name and one name only.

‘Harry,’ His hoarse voice groaned, as his eyes searched for the perfect face that matched the name.

The hand in his tightened gently, ‘I’m here.’

His eyes focused on his left, that gorgeous face coming into view. The concerned spark in those emerald eyes and the way they were scrutinising his actions made Louis blush self-consciously.

‘How are you feeling?’ The deep timbre ofHarry’s voice sent chills down Louis’ spine, making him shiver visibly.

‘Are you cold?’

‘No,’ Louis managed, ‘I’m o-ok.’

Harry sighed, and sat back, his hand slipping out of Louis’. He felt like whining at the loss of contact, but that wouldn’t be very manly _or_ mature. He was an eighteen year old boy; he should not be acting like a teenage girl.

‘Was it you…?’ He asked softly.

Harry’s eyes fixed on his face, making his blush deepen.

‘Who pulled you out? Yeah,’ Harry shook his head, ‘I thought you were gone.’

Louis looked away, the emotion in that sentence too much to bear.

‘Why are you so worried? You’ve barely known me for five hours,’ He whispered, staring unseeingly out the window.

Harry chuckled humourlessly, ‘You’ve been in here for six days, Louis.’

His head snapped back towards Harry too fast, and he swore he heard something crack.

‘What!?’

‘You’ve been in here for six days; you’ve been in a _coma_ for _six_ days.’

Louissat up, cringing as his head pounded but shook his head disbelievingly, ‘That’s impossible.’

Harry sighed, ‘I wish it was…you swallowed too much water…then you just shut down. They were worried that you wouldn’t make it.’

He couldn’t find any words to explain what he was feeling as he stared at Harry. Love, want, need…those words were barely able to scratch the surface of his emotions for the other boy.

There was something in those eyes that told him something was wrong.

‘Why’d you stay? Where’s Sarah?’ Louis asked, fear pooling in his stomach.

‘Sarah had to go home, she was with you till last night, but her sister just had a baby,’ Harry answered, his eyes flashing almost jealously at the mention of Sarah.

But Louis didn’t notice because he was too busy remembering that Melanie’s due date had been the sixth of December.

Oh. That’s right! Melanie was...had been pregnant! Louis’ face lit up as he absorbed the news, before he realised that Harry hadn’t answered his question.

‘You didn’t answer me, why’d _you_ stay?’

Harry looked distinctly uncomfortable, ‘Uh…Sarah mentioned something before she left.’

Louis froze. Shit, what did Sarah _say!?_

‘She said, _he needs you, don’t hurt him,’_ Harry let out an impatient breath, ‘What does that mean? I’ve been trying not to go mad for almost twenty-four hours, waiting to find out. Louis, _what does it mean?’_

He couldn’t answer, his throat closed up. His eyes stayed locked on Harry because he just couldn’t look away. He was going to _murder_ Sarah in the most torturous way he could think up by the next time he saw her.

Suddenly, Harry was standing right next to his bed, staring down at him.

‘Please just answer me,’ He said simply.

Louis’ head shook itself, his head spinning from the scent that was slowly wrapping itself around him, encasing him in an enchanting cocoon of warmth; the smell of summer and gentle breezes that blew over the ocean.

Harry leaned down, so his face was less than five inches away from Louis’, ‘Why do you need me?’

He gulped nervously, unable to look away from the scorching emerald eyes that raked over his face.

‘I-I-I—’

Louis couldn’t even get a word out, let alone a whole sentence. He was hanging on to his control by the very tips of his fingernails and even that was slowly slipping away.

So when Harry leaned _even closer,_ everything Louis was hanging onto, which wasn’t all that much really, fell apart in his hands as he crushed his lips to Harry’s.

As soon as they touched, Louis’ brain melted as a delicious heat burned through his veins, igniting every inch of his body. But Harry was frozen against him. Something in Louistold him to push harder and he nudged Harry’s lips with his. Finally after a few seconds, all the tension in Harry just disappeared and he kissed back.

Louis was caught by surprise but a mind-blowing happiness rippled through him making _his_ response even stronger.Harry’s hands slid down Louis’ sides, making him shiver, before they wrapped around his waist and pulled him up so that he was on his knees on the hospital bed.

He braced himself on Harry’s chest; his eyes shut as they kissed feverishly. Shudder after shudder ripped through Louis as Harry’s thumbs brushed his sides in turn making him mould himself to every contour ofHarry’s body, his arms now around Harry’s neck.

It was only when Harry’s tongue dragged itselfalmost desperately across Louis’ bottom lip that Louis realised exactly what was happening and wrenched himself away from the curly-haired boy.

He scrambled backwards on the bed, his back hitting the wall harshly. Both their breathing was ragged as they stared each other, chests heaving.

Harry’s eyes were blown wide, dark and barely recognisable as green. Louis was sure without a doubt that his own were just as dark, filled with the want that he had felt since that day in the café.

‘H-Harry, I’m sorry—’ Louis began, but Harry cut him off.

‘This is what she meant?’ Hislow, raspy voice making Louis flush hotly as his body reacted rather embarrassingly. Let’s just say that he was glad for the baggy hospital gown.

He nodded, his voice rendered useless from the sight in front of him. All he knew was that somehow, from somewhere, an undeniable attraction towards Harry had appeared in the past six days, while he lay unconscious on the crisp, white, hauntingly sterile sheets.

A ghostly smirk flitted across Harry’s face and he hooked a finger towards Louis, who found himself involuntarily pulling away from the wall and shuffling across the bed to the almost fevered green eyed boy.

When Louis was within reach, Harry grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him up so their noses were brushing and every single part of their bodies was pressed together. Louis’ mind was in an inexplicablechaos, nothing completely registering as he stared into glinting lust-filled eyes.

‘Well then,’ Harry almost growled in a quiet voice, smirkingseductively as his eyes ran leisurely over Louis’ face. He licked his dry lips leaving them rosy and glistening, ‘It’s probably a good thing that I’m gay.’


End file.
